Co-authored by Gina Lagomarsino, managing director for Results for Development Institute

We welcome the United States Supreme Court decision to uphold President Obama’s sweeping health care overhaul. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires all Americans to have health insurance, which will dramatically increase both equitable access and the health of Americans.

It also adds the US to the growing list of countries on the path to universal health coverage.

US Affordable Care Act a good step forward

We have learned that countries must create systems that reflect their history and their current realities. In the US, this means improving upon a system dominated by private insurers that historically have been able to provide subjective and selective coverage – denying coverage or charging exorbitant premiums to those most in need.

To provide health care coverage for all in the US, it was critical that the ACA accomplish the following goals: